Starting Over
by Random808Tweeker
Summary: A girl gets a new start in life... unless the walkers decide otherwise. OFC, no pairings.
1. Chapter 1

Coming up on a car graveyard the girl driving the 2009 Ford Ranger turned off her truck. Grabbing her scavenging bag she hopped out of her truck and started to loot the cars of whatever was usable. Methodically checking every car, the Asian girl was doing well until she reached a car with a message on it. "Sophia, stay here. We'll come back everyday." On top of the trunk of the car were food and water. The girl was about to take the supplies but decided against it and moved on. After about an hour the girl returned to her truck and dumped the siphoned gas and supplies in the back. Closing the cover on the truck and locking it, the girl went to the cab and grabbed her bow and quiver and went into the woods to hunt.

After hiking a few miles, the girl caught only one rabbit, just enough meat for the day. She was just about to head back but an abandoned house stopped her in her tracks. Notching an arrow in her bow, the girl moved in to check out the house. The house had just started to be retaken by Mother Nature. Nudging the door open, the girl raised her bow and got ready to fire just incase someone was here. With every step she took the floorboards creaked with the strain of holding up her weight. Something was off though, standing still for a moment the girl listened for any movement besides her own. A second later she heard a creak coming from behind her. Spinning around she came face to face with a loaded crossbow.

"You best start talkin' if ya don't want this bolt in yer head," It was an older man who looked like he wasn't very happy at all. The girl swallowed and spoke. Her voice was soft, low, and hoarse; it was as if she hasn't spoken in a long time. "Just checking the house out, didn't realize you were staying here, I'll leave," The man sized her up before moving on in his interrogation. "You alone kid?" She just nodded. "Any supplies?" She nodded again and motioned for him to follow her. The man just gave her this look before giving her instructions. "Wait outside, I'll follow you after I check this place," Giving a final nod to the man, the girl went back outside and waited for the man.

After a few more minutes the man came out and motioned for the girl to lead the way. She wasn't stupid, she just knew that if she made one wrong move, the man wouldn't hesitate to shoot her and take her supplies. That's why she made every effort not to piss the man off. Making their way through the forest, the man noticed that the girl was heading back to the highway. Putting himself on guard he let the girl reach the road first and watched her from the forest line. He watched her make her way to a truck and threw her bag in the back while the bow and quiver was kept in the front with her. The man looked around searching for any signs of life. Coming out from the forest, he made his way to the girl's truck. The girl got in the drivers side of the truck and waited for the man to do what he wanted. The man looked in the back of the truck and found a duffle bag, backpack, the bag the girl had with her along with a few tanks of gas and some other items.

The man was not happy, he wanted to leave the chink on her own and just head back to the farm. The problem was that he didn't want to leave the chink to fend for herself. The chink looked no older than 15 and scrawny as hell. Looking over at the chink who was sitting with her legs dangling out of the cab. She was wear a light sweater, shorts that reached her knees, and combat boots. The man gave frustrated shake of his head and walked over to the driver's side of the truck. "Kid get in the seat I'm takin' ya to the group. It ain't right if I leave ya out here by yerself," Scooting over to the passenger side the kid held the key out for the man to take. The man got in the truck and reversed away from the graveyard before putting the truck in drive and headed towards the farm. Looking over at the ghink once more he noticed that she never took her gloves off.

"Somethin' wrong with yer hands kid?" The girl shook her head but made no move to take her gloves off. The man just grunted and left the girl be, but not before asking what was her name. "Vanessa," the Asian girl said in her damaged voice. Within a few minutes, the pair made it to the farm. Driving up the drive way was the only way to get to the farm with the truck, but it also drew the attention of the entire group. "Stay here," was the only things the man said before getting out of the truck. Watching the man carefully, it seemed that the group was confused and relieved that it was only him. From the truck Vanessa could only hear bits and pieces of the conversation the man, no Daryl is what she heard, was having with the group.


	2. Chapter 2

27/06/2012 20:38:00

"Daryl what the hell is this?" demanded Shane as he pointed to the girl he brought back who was still in the truck. "I found her by herself, it ain't right if I left a girl out there by her lonesome," Rick was looking at the girl who was still in the truck. She was dozing in the passenger seat, but Rick could tell that she was tired and hungry. She had probably been on the road for a while and didn't have anytime to get any rest. Safety in numbers. None meant certain death. "Shane now that's enough; one more person couldn't hurt, but Daryl she's your responsibility. Also I want her to get checked out by Hershel before she can get some rest. Is that clear?" "Why can't one of the woman take care of her? Why me?" "You're the one who found her, that makes you the person she trusts the most out of this group," Daryl just swore before stomping back to the truck to get the girl.

During the time Daryl was away from the truck, the girl had fallen asleep. Shaking her awake, Daryl expected her to just shake him off and go back to sleep just like any other teenager. Instead she jerked awake and scooted back as far as she could away from Daryl, arms in front of her face. She tried to scream but the only thing that came out was a croak. Daryl backed up a step and put his hands up to show Vanessa that he wasn't going to hurt her or eat her if she thought that he was a walker.

Looking up from her arms, she saw Daryl with his hands in the air showing her that he wasn't going to hit her. '_They're dead… no one isn't going to hurt me, except for walkers_,' Scooting back towards Daryl, Vanessa sat quietly with her hands in her lap waiting for Daryl to make a move. "You need to be checked out by the owner here. His name's Hershel, he's gonna get ya fixed up right. That alright with you?" Daryl asked as he shoved his hands in his pocket. Vanessa gave a slight nod and hopped out of the car. Nodding back Daryl started walking towards the house, Vanessa following behind. Halfway to the house Vanessa collapsed to the ground in a dead faint.

Hearing a thud come from behind him, Daryl turned around to find the kid on the ground. Rushing back to the kid, Daryl noticed that her face was flushed, sweat was running own her face, and her breath coming out in harsh pants. Fearing that she was bit, Daryl picked her up bridal style and ran the rest of the way to the house. "Hey Hershel! I need ya right now!" Coming to the front door Hershel saw the girl in Daryl's arms and motioned him to bring her in. "Patricia I need you to set up an IV and check her over for bites. Son I need you to stay out of the room for a bit," ordered Hershel as he ushered Daryl out of the room while Patricia started to set up the IV. Hershel closed the door, leaving Daryl pacing back and forth in worry.

'_Damn this kid, I just met her and I already feel protective of her. She ain't even my kin! She's just some damn chink I found. A beaten, scared, little scrawny chink_,' Daryl gave a sigh of frustration, leaned against the wall and slid to the ground. Digging his hands into his eyes, Daryl tried not to think about what might happen if the girl was actually bit. A few moments later Hershel and Patricia came out, thought it was more like Patricia running out of the room crying and Hershel with a solemn look on his face. Daryl stood up in worry about the kid being bit, but the next words out of Hershel's mouth was a relief and a shock. "She wasn't bit, she's just exhausted, but some of her older injuries worry me. Her hands have burn scars, her forearms show her attempt at suicide, Patricia found no other scars, but it doesn't mean she wasn't abused. Did you notice anything odd about her?" Daryl grunted out that that Vanessa's voice was gruff and as if it pained her to talk. "The girl probably has laryngitis, she isn't allowed to talk for at least a month, but it may be shorter depending on how long she had it. She's on bed rest until she can talk again,"

Giving a nod of thanks to Hershel, Daryl walked into the room and found that the girl was sleeping but the pained look on her face wasn't there anymore. When Daryl caught sight of her hands he quickly walked out of the room. He made his way out of the house and to the horse stable to grab a horse and keep looking for Sophia. A few days passed and the girl hasn't woken up yet and Daryl was now bed ridden as well. Daryl couldn't believe he stabbed himself with his own bolt, now he was bed ridden. In the next room over the girl woke up feeling like she was in an oven. Noticing all the blankets on her she flipped them off and stood up slowly. Some of her joints ached but what caught her eyes were the bandages that covered her hands and forearms. Her first thought about the bandages was that it made her look like an incomplete mummy. Moving on she got out the bed and headed out into the hallway.


	3. Chapter 3

27/06/2012 20:39:00

Looking through the hallway, Vanessa walked towards a door and slowly opened it. Looking inside she met the face of Daryl who was looking at her with a slightly confused look on his face. Daryl pulled the blankets up to cover his torso before he started talking to Vanessa. "Kid if yer gonna come in I suggest ya do it quick or someone will drag ya back to yer bed," Vanessa quickly entered the room and closed the door quietly. There was an awkward moment of silence before Daryl broke it. "Kid you've been sick fer a good time, I reckon that no one took care of you fer a while?" Vanessa nodded warily before making a bold move. She crossed to the other side of the room to sit on the side of the bed where it was unoccupied by Daryl. Daryl was surprised by how much trust this kid had for him despite her past with people. That's when Daryl remembered what the sheriff said about trust. "You're the one who found her, that makes you the person she trusts the most out of this group," Daryl gave the kid a thoughtful look before daring to ask Vanessa about her past. "Kid, mind if I ask a few questions?" Receiving a shake of her head Daryl moved into choppy waters, but he started off with easy questions.

"You know how to track and hunt with that bow I found ya with?" A nod. Made rabbit ears. "Gave that to the group to be cooked. Any guns?" One finger. "You gonna stay with us?" Point to his chest. A testament to how much trust Vanessa put in Daryl. "How do ya feel?" Did the muscle move. "Better huh? Mind if I ask about yer arms?" A moment of silence before giving a slight shake of the head. "Who burned yer hands?" She spelled it out in the bed sheets. "Classmates, Why?" Spelled out more words. "Was a prank gone wrong". "Yer parents?" Car accident. "Yer suicide attempt?" Bullying, no one cared. "That ain't right, someone must've cared enough to save ya," Don't remember, but someone paid for everything. "You still wanna die?" Sometimes. "Why?" Still no reason to live. "Then why not let the walkers get you?" Wanna die, not die, come back, and eat people. Daryl received this look from Vanessa signifying that she had more dignity than that. "Ha got some spunk left in ya, that's good."

Just then Vanessa raised one of her hands and put it on the bandage that was wrapped around his head. "Was an accident, nothin' you should worry about," Just then the door opened and Vanessa snatched her hand away from Daryl as if he shocked her. The one who came in the door was a woman with shot grayish hair. "Oh she's awake! How are feeling?" Asked the woman. Vanessa just gave a nod in her direction while hugging her knees up to her chest. Not once did Vanessa look up from staring at the bed sheets. The woman just gave the girl a sympathetic look before placing a tray of food down on the bed stand and started talking to Daryl. Vanessa just ignored both of them until the woman left. "Kid next time yer rude like that, you gonna do laundry for the next week, ya hear?" A flash of fear crossed Vanessa's face before she realized that he wasn't gonna hit her. She looked at Daryl and noticed the look on his face saying that he was serious about the laundry thing. Vanessa nodded her head in agreement and just picked at her bandages in nervousness. Noticing the gesture, Daryl grabbed her hand gently, ignoring the subtle flinch, and took it away from the bandages. "Look kid I know yer nervous, but ya can't pick at yer bandages. Keep them on until you can get yer own clothes back," Vanessa just sighed and laid down on the bed next to him and nodded. "And get back to yer own bed, it ain't proper fer ya to be alone with me," Vanessa sighed and slowly got up from the bed and headed for her own bedroom. Only one thought crossed as he heard the door closed. '_This kid is gonna be the death of me_,'


	4. Chapter 4

In the morning Daryl was moved to his tent outside while Vanessa was being looked over by Hershel once more in the house. "Say ah please," Vanessa opened her mouth and said ah, giving Hershel a good view of her throat. "Well the swelling has gone down and you sure you're not feeling any pain?" "No sir" Vanessa replied softly. The difference this time was that the hoarseness of her voice now gone and Vanessa voice sounded very lovely. A soft low melodic sound. "Then you're free to go little miss, but I still want you to take it easy for a few days," "Yes sir, thank you sir," "Alright now off you go," Vanessa got up from the bed and headed outside. Hershel shook his head in amazement at the girl's resilience but still worried about her hiding her fear and burdens from everyone.

**Flashback**

"_Daryl, I need to talk to you about Vanessa," Hershel said. That stopped Daryl from leaving the house. "What about the girl?" "I want you to make sure she doesn't hide anything that may hinder her recovery. She doesn't want to be a burden to anyone and that is what will get her killed. So make sure to watch for any signs that might say she is hiding something," Daryl just stared at Hershel for a moment before asking him about Vanessa's condition. "It seems her laryngitis has cleared up but I want to make sure she doesn't have anymore underlying conditions. I'll send her to you after her check up," Daryl gave a nod and left the farmhouse to go lay down in his tent._

**End Flashback**

Hershel stood by the window and watched Vanessa as she made her way to the group's campsite. He watched as Vanessa made her way to Daryl's tent and interacts with the bed-ridden occupant. Hershel gave a small smile and thanked God for giving the girl a guardian in these tough times.

"Hey kid, ya better now?" "Yea I'm better," "Good cause ya need to sort through yer stuff now that yer up and about. Bring yer truck over and get started," Daryl threw the car keys to Vanessa and motioned for her to get going. Going to the truck, she got in and moved it so that the bed of the truck was facing the campsite. Turning the truck off, Vanessa got out and was just about to open the back before she heard someone yell. "Hey new girl!" Turning her head she sees a man with a shaved head walking towards her. When the man got to her he leaned against her truck and started asking questions. "What are you doing?" Being a little intimidated and frightened Vanessa took a small step back before answering the question. "I was going to sort out my supplies," she replied softly, hoping she wasn't going to get hit. The man was rubbing his shaved head in thought before being called over by a man with a head full of hair and a scruffy beard-growing in. "Don't go anywhere," said the man before leaving. Vanessa was now officially terrified of the man and it has been only less then a few days. Instead of listening to the man's order, Vanessa went back to Daryl's tent but stopped just before she got in. She didn't want to bother him but at the same time she needed him.

Daryl notices the kid standing outside his tent and waited for her to come in. When she didn't though that's what got him worried. "Kid, you gonna come in or not?" Daryl called out. He saw the kid jump and slowly poked her head in. "Kid I meant yer whole body, Good Lord," But just as Vanessa was about to come in she was pulled back. Daryl shot up from his sleeping bad when he heard her scream and a man scolding her. Ignoring the sharp pain in his side, he quickly got out from his tent to see Shane holding Vanessa's arm. "What did I say? Didn't I tell you to stay put?" He was shaking her lightly with the grip he had on her arm. The look on Vanessa's face and her body's posture set Daryl off. Vanessa had a look of absolute fear on her face and her body was positioned to protect her face and abdomen. Daryl was pissed, he marched over to the pair and roughly pushed Shane away while putting Vanessa behind him to protect her from what ever Shane wanted her for. "You best back off, can't ya see she don't want you around? Good Lord thought you cops were suppose to protect the weak!" "She didn't do as she was told and was messing around with the supplies! How do we know if we can trust her?" "Paranoid sonofabitch, she's just a girl! What do ya expect her ta be? A spy? Well she ain't a good one! Sick like hell and scared shitless because of people like ya. You best leave her alone ya hear?" "Fine, but if I find out that she is a spy your responsible for the consequences." Shane walked away in anger but stopped and called back to Daryl. "And don't let her touch the supplies again!" Then Shane resumes walking away.

"Good Lord," said Daryl while shaking his head. Turning around Daryl met the most heartbreaking sight he has ever seen. Not that he will ever admit it. The girl was sitting on the ground curled up into the tightest ball she could make herself into, head buried into her knees that were drawn up to her chest and arms wrapped around her legs. Crouching down Daryl gently put his hand on her shoulder. Vanessa violently flinched and curled up even tighter, if that was even possible. Daryl sighed and tried to soothe the fear out of the girl. "Girl—" A subtle flinch, a different nickname then. "Missy, I know yer scared, but ya need to uncurl fer me. I need ta check ya over just incase ya need ta see Hershel again," A violent shake of the head. "Missy, I swear ta ya that no one is going to hurt ya with me around," A hesitant eye peaks out from the ball. Daryl gives an awkward smile of encouragement. Vanessa uncurls slowly while keeping an eye out for Shane. She finally uncurls from the ball but still has her arms covering her abdomen. Daryl winced as he stood up and held out a hand for the girl to help her up. Vanessa took the hand after a moment of hesitation. Daryl noticed that her hands were shaking and decided to take her out shooting, after sorting through the supplies, but no serious injuries from Shane's manhandling. "Let's go get yer stuff sorted and then you can show me what you can do with that bow of yers. Sound good kid?" Vanessa nodded with enthusiasm and headed over to her truck.

Both of them walked over to the truck and got to sort the supplies she had brought with her. "Alright I want ya to take out things that the group can use and keep. The rest is yer personal stuff," Vanessa nodded and started off with her hunting equipment. She knew she had a box full of bolts for Daryl's crossbow so she started with that first. Grabbing the box she nudge Daryl with it to get his attention. Daryl gave the girl a look before taking the box and looking at its contents. He gave a whistle of appreciation as he brought the bolts out from the box. Total of 6 bolts come out of the box. "You've been holdin' out on me kid!" Daryl mused Vanessa's hair in thanks and put the bolts back in the box before going back to sorting the supplies.

After about an hour, the gas, food, water, med kit, and some other useful things were put aside for the group. The other supplies Vanessa kept for herself were put into the truck she brought. "Take the supplies to the old man, he sits on top the RV. Then meet me at the forest line with yer bow. Got it?" Getting a nod from the girl, Daryl walked away to get drop off his new bolts and get his crossbow. Lifting the duffle bag with ease, the girl took a short walk to the RV.

Dale looked down from the RV roof and saw the new girl walking towards him with a duffle bag that was fairly full. "What do you have there?" "Supplies for the group," Was the soft reply. "That's very kind of you, I'm sorry what was your name?" "Vanessa," "Thank you Vanessa for sharing your supplies with us," Vanessa just shrugged and dropped off the supplies in the RV. She expected it to be empty but instead she found the woman from the night Daryl was bedridden. "Oh hello! You're finally up and about. How are you feeling?" "Better, thank you for asking, and I'm sorry for being rude last night," The woman gave a smile and just shook her head. "It's alright, I understand, you were scared and you didn't know anyone besides Daryl. Where is he anyway?" "He's gonna let me have target practice with my bow near the forest," Carol gave a smile and nodded in approval. "Just be careful out there and listen to Daryl now you hear?" Vanessa nodded as she handed over the supplies and left the RV. Going back to her truck, she grabbed her bow and arrows and headed towards Daryl where he was waiting.


	5. Chapter 5

"Ok kid show me what ya got," Daryl nodded as he nodded towards the forest. Both were standing back at about 20 feet from the forest line. Vanessa didn't even hesitate she notched a wooden arrow into her bow and let it fly. It struck the tree dead on. Vanessa gave a huff and walked back to about 50 feet before notching another wooden arrow and without a single pause let the arrow fly. The arrow sliced through the air and instead of landing next to the other arrow imbedded in the tree it split the arrow down the middle. Walking back another 50 feet, Vanessa pulled her last wooden arrow out from her quiver. Notching it she raised the bow, pulled back, and let it fly. And once again she split the other arrow down the middle.

Daryl was just staring at the tree in amazement. Turning to look at the kid who was now walking back to his location. "Kid where did ya live?" Vanessa looked startled by the question but answered nonetheless. "Hawaii but I moved here when my parents died." "You lived out in the middle of the ocean, how'd ya learn how to hunt?" "The mountains had rainforests where we could hunt feral pigs and goats. We could either do it by hand or by bow." "No guns?" "Can but the younger guys like get down and dirty," Daryl grunted in acknowledgement and walked towards the tree to get a closer look at the arrows. "How many arrows ya got kid?" A moment of silence before Vanessa called out her answer. "About 20 now," "Ya know how ta make more?" A nod. Nodding back Daryl made started to make his way back to the farm. "Let's go back kid, tomorrow were gonna track down a missin' girl. Names Sophia. Missin' fer a few days already, but if she's anything like ya then we'll find her," Vanessa nodded and walked back to the farm with Daryl.

Dinner passed by with Vanessa trying squirrel for the first time at Daryl's tent. When Glenn asked if she was grossed out when he told her what it was, she paused, looked at the meat she was about to put in her mouth before shrugging and eating it. Daryl smirked at the girl, she knew that food was food and she shouldn't complain. At the end of dinner the group went off to their own thing, including Daryl. At some point Rick realized that Vanessa was nowhere to be found. Instead of making the group panic about a missing member, he decided to look inside the tents first before alerting them. He systematically looked through each tent, when he reached Daryl's tent he smiled. Inside Daryl's tent was Vanessa curled up on the floor of the tent, sleeping peacefully. He frowned though when she shivered and curled up into a ball. Quietly making his way into the tent, Rick bent down and lifted Vanessa up onto the cot. Before leaving the tent, Rick covered her with a blanket. Stepping outside Rick left to check on some things with Hershel before turning in for the night.

As Daryl was doing his business he noticed that the kid wasn't there with him. He thought nothing of it and just went on doing his thing. After a few hours though, when the sun has set, the kid hadn't showed up yet. Getting slightly worried, Daryl headed back to the camp, hoping that the kid was still there. When he got to camp he noticed the kid was nowhere to be found. Cursing under his breath he headed to his tent to retrieve a flashlight to search for the girl. When he walked in, he couldn't believe his eyes. The girl was sleeping on his cot, curled up into a ball in a blanket. Shaking his head, Daryl exited his tent only to run into Rick. "Sorry Daryl but here's an extra cot for you to sleep on," "Why does the girl have to sleep in my tent? It ain't proper fer me to sleep alone with her!" "Daryl I doubt she see's you like that, I think she is a kid looking for a proper guardian," "What makes you think I know how ta take care of a kid?" "Despite the way you act, I know you care. You were the one who brought her here to safety. I saw you pick her up and carry her to the house in a panic after she collapsed. I saw you protect her from Shane and comfort her afterwards. At least give the girl a chance to have a stable relationship with an adult," Daryl paced back and forth for a moment before roughly grabbing the cot from Rick went back into the tent. Rick just smiled and headed back to his own tent.

Daryl set down the cot down at the opposite end of the tent and sat down on it in frustration. Rubbing his face roughly with his hand he looked over to the Vanessa who was literally curled up into a ball with the blanket making a cocoon around her. Only the top of her head was visible from the cocoon of blankets. Shaking his head Daryl grabbed the spare blanket and settled down for the night.


End file.
